ON A COLD and brooding Anzac morning, newlyweds Sarah and Nathan Kirkman did the same as thousands of other locals, rising at 5am to attend the dawn service.
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But their tribute to the Anzacs was over before it started, cut short by an act of pure bastardry.
Could there be a starker illustration of the good and bad that exists in our community than a young couple rendered unable to attend a dawn service because of a car thief?
Sadly, their story is not unique. In a dramatic escalation of an already serious problem, seven cars were stolen and set ablaze across the city on the Anzac weekend.
Behind each theft is a story. For the Kirkmans, the loss of their car went beyond the nuisance of not being able to attend the dawn service.
In the throes of saving for their marital home, the theft has dealt them a bitter financial blow. It has also eroded some of their faith in the community.
Most galling is the fact the joyless joyriders responsible are stealing and burning cars for the sheer pleasure of it.
Wagga Police inspector Darren Cloake is bang-on when he says the crime spree is tangled up in myriad social issues. Untangling those issues is both complex and long-term. But part of the puzzle rests with you.
Lock up your possessions, look out for your neighbours, report suspicious activity to police. Only by starving these thieves of oxygen will we put the skids on their trail of destruction.
